I went to Judge Harry Wilters' funeral yesterday. Who?

[trof]

I know you never heard of him, but among Harry's many accomplishments, he was, in part, responsible for getting Judge Roy (10 Commandments) Moore off of the Alabama Supreme Court.
I'm sure you remember THAT guy.
:-(

Harry was a friend and neighbor for several years.
A kinder, gentler man I've never met.
I consider myself fortunate to have known him.

Here's my story:

In early 2004 I read that a Special Supreme Court made up of retired judges had been appointed to hear Roy Moore's appeal. He'd already been 'relieved of duties' as Chief Justice by Alabama's Court of the Judiciary. Due to the political ramifications of the situation, no sitting judge (all elected) would touch the case. ALL recused themselves, so a 'special panel' of retired judges took it on.
I knew two of them, John Patterson and Harry Wilters.
I figured that was a good start.

I was on my morning walk a few days later when I saw Harry driving out of the neighborhood.
He stopped for a moment and we exchanged pleasantries.
"I see you're on the special panel to hear Moore's appeal."
"That's right."
"I know you can't talk about it."
"That's right, too." and I got that little crooked grin he had.
"Do you mind if I express an opinion?"
"That's certainly your right." again, the grin.
Based on my encyclopedic knowledge of constitutional law (OK, not really, just my gut feeling of right and wrong) I held forth for a couple of minutes. Bottom line was I thought the guy had done wrong and didn't deserve to be on the bench.
Harry didn't nod or shake his head, he just listened.
When I finished he said "Well, see ya later."
"Later."

I ran into him in the same way 3 or 4 more times during the hearing and deliberations.
He kept me updated on how the case was progressing without ever giving away which way it might go.
Then one morning he stopped and told me "We finished deliberations. The decision will be published Saturday at noon."
Again, I got that grin "I think you'll be pleased."
A few minutes after I'd finished my walk on Saturday morning the door bell rang.
It was Harry. He held a sheaf of papers.
"I thought you'd like to see a copy of the decision. Don't say anything to anybody till after noon. That's when the official announcement will be made in Montgomery. By the way, the decision was unanimous but I got permission to add my own comments affixed to the official document."
I thanked him and went in to read it.

I think I still have it, but can't put my hand on it right now. As I remember Harry had quoted chapter and verse of the Bible right back at Moore, showing exactly the where, why, and how of what he'd done wrong.
How appropriate.
Way to go, Harry!
He was 84.

[aquamarina]

1. Thanks for sharing this great story.

It sounds like he was an outstanding person and judge.

[Warpy]

2. I drove through Alabama while that whole flapdoodle was going on

and Alabama takes the prize for the most hate filled radio I've ever had the misfortune to come across, even worse than the paranoid rantings of survivalist white power fools on shortwave.

Roy Moore was probably so proud he had to have the buttons sewed back on his shirts every single day. Asshole.

Your old friend sounds like a wonderful man. I am so glad they had the guts to slap Moore down. I hadn't realized it was a unanimous decision.

[trof]

5. Moore was an embarrassment.

Even for Alabama.
And I say that as a native Alabamian.

[Warpy]

12. To sensible people, he was

Sensible people aren't on the radio there, I guess.

[Hepburn]

3. KnR....

...sounds like a guy I would have loved to talk to! Sorry you lost such a great guy from your life.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. What a wonderful story, my dear trof!

You tell it well.

How lucky you were to have such a cool neighbor...

:D

[trof]

6. Thank you. You might also like the 'Power of Attorney' story:

Miz t.'s mom lived with us for the last several months of her life. Lona Landeche was a sweet lady and we were very close.
She had aphasia, and had lost the ability to speak, although her mind was still very clear. We communicated by head nods and sign language and sometimes we'd write down 'yes' or 'no' questions she could answer.

Her palsy had gotten so severe that she could no longer write. In the spring of 2000 we decided we'd better get a durable power of attorney so we could act on her behalf. We discussed this with her, and she agreed.
I called Harry to see if he was still practicing law, or if he could suggest someone. I explained Mom's condition to him. He said he'd be glad to do it.

A few days later he stopped by with the document. Mom was sitting out in our bay room where she spent most of her day, watching the water and birds and squirrels.
I introduced them and Harry sat down and talked to her for a few minutes, very gently and respectfully.
He satisfied himself that this was her desire.
He turned to Miz t. and me and said "I can notarize this for you when she signs it. I'm supposed to witness the signature."
I said "I don't know if she is able without some help."
He said "I know. Say, can I use your rest room for a minute?"
"Sure, right down the hall on the left."
He handed the document to Miz t. and stepped out of the room.
Miz t. took her mom's hand in hers and guided her through a very shaky signature,
Soon after she finished Harry came back into the room and notarized it.
I understood that Harry was more concerned with the spirit of the law, as opposed to the letter of the law.
He also didn't want to embarrass this nice lady by watching her struggle through the signing process.
Oh, and he collected no fee for his services.
He was a class act, in every sense.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Wow. He WAS a class act, for sure.

That was another beautiful story, trof.

Thank you for sharing it.

You tell these so well. You should be writing them down, so you won't forget.

Some day, someone might want to read them, ya know...

[Gregorian]

8. Heart warming.

He made this a world worth living in. That's why we're on this forum. We recognize it. We love it. Thanks for sharing.

[hlthe2b]

9. I so fear that guys like this are endangered species...

I hope I am wrong...Thanks for sharing. This guy made a difference, that is clear. RIP

[renate]

10. I love love love stories about people like this

Thank you for sharing. He sounds like a genuinely wonderful and kind gentleman. :loveya:

[malaise]

11. Thank you for this wonderful story

Rec :fistbump: